How much Merch is too much?

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Legion1979
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Re: How much Merch is too much?

Post by Legion1979 »

I think you are 100% wrong in downplaying the popularity of Bandai vinyl compared to MonsterArts. MonsterArts absolutely has its fans but it's an expensive collectors line that's not really going to be accessible for children or anyone on a budget. Regardless, the MMS and MonsterArts are two very different things. One can't "replace" the other. If anything the insane volume of vinyls from Bandai these last two years shows exactly how popular these toys are and have always been. And Bandai knows it.

I've been running a Facebook Godzilla collectors group for over 11 years now (as long as MonsterArts has been a thing) and Bandai vinyl is still the cornerstone of a lot of collections. Nothing seems to excite collectors more than a really nice, brand new Bandai vinyl. Nothing sells better at G-FEST than Bandai vinyl. People across ALL generations LOVE to collect these toys, which is more than i can say for MonsterArts, which seems to be most popular amongst young adults. A lot of collectors closer to my age won't touch them. If you really think Xplus and MonsterArts are the "heart and sole of the collecting community" in a way Bandai vinyl is not then I really don't know what to tell you aside from insisting that you broaden the scope of the communities you're focusing on.

Accuracy (and scale for that matter, which is overrated) isn't everything either. There's a huge market for stylized toys. Especially with older collectors.
Last edited by Legion1979 on Thu Nov 24, 2022 8:22 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Mac Daddy MM
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Re: How much Merch is too much?

Post by Mac Daddy MM »

Legion1979 wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 8:18 am I think you are 100% wrong in downplaying the popularity of Bandai vinyl compared to MonsterArts. MonsterArts absolutely has its fans but it's an expensive collectors line that's not really going to be accessible for children or anyone on a budget. Regardless, the MMS and MonsterArts are two very different things. One can't "replace" the other. If anything the insane volume of vinyls from Bandai these last two years shows exactly how popular these toys are and have always been. And Bandai knows it.

I've been running a Facebook Godzilla collectors group for over 11 years now (as long as MonsterArts has been a thing) and Bandai vinyl is still the cornerstone of a lot of collections. Nothing seems to excite collectors more than a really nice, brand new Bandai vinyl. Nothing sells better at G-FEST than Bandai vinyl. People across ALL generations LOVE to collect these toys, which is more than i can say for MonsterArts, which seems to be most popular amongst young adults. A lot of collectors closer to my age won't touch them. If you really think Xplus and MonsterArts are the "heart and sole of the collecting community" in a way Bandai vinyl is not then I really don't know what to tell you aside from insisting that you broaden the scope of the communities you're focusing on.
This is 100% true. Nothing gets collectors into this game more than old school vinyl. The easy means to get them, the price, the simplicity of 'em. We're going to quickly see just how many SHMA only collecors are serious in 10-15 years. I imagine there's going to be A LOT less of them compared to even X-Plus only guys when half of these guys get out on their own and move their asses out of their parents' places.
Accuracy (and scale for that matter, which is overrated) isn't everything either. There's a huge market for stylized toys. Especially with older collectors.
This is also legit. I used to laugh at and think these things were dumb. Then I tried one and was hooked. Their such a unique piece and finding a sculpt you like with a color scheme that really clicks is something you just don't get with regular figures. I still think super old vintage ones look dumb (I can't resist the pop shot for old times, Legion), but I've found I really dig the old 1970's Popy Baragon just for its downright ugliness.


Quote of the Year:
plasmabeam wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 3:03 am Hear me out on this. What if Godzilla is actually Suko’s father? In GvK when Godzilla defeated Kong and they were roaring at each other, what if Godzilla inseminated Kong at that moment and that’s why they were screaming?

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Creature22
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Re: How much Merch is too much?

Post by Creature22 »

I love the vintage stuff but understand that there are preferences. Debating about it is all well and good so long as it doesn't reach the level of bullying or become a pointless shouting match. At least for me, I actually liked the simplified designs growing up and the representation of Showa in a somewhat Heisei/Millenium-dominated market was pretty refreshing (early 2000s for me). So I enjoyed both but liked to have the variety. My Marusan Godzilla was good because it could essentially fill the gap for "any" Showa Godzilla, which Bandai ironically couldn't do.
Last edited by Creature22 on Thu Nov 24, 2022 1:16 pm, edited 3 times in total.

JVM
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Re: How much Merch is too much?

Post by JVM »

Legion1979 wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 8:18 am I think you are 100% wrong in downplaying the popularity of Bandai vinyl compared to MonsterArts. MonsterArts absolutely has its fans but it's an expensive collectors line that's not really going to be accessible for children or anyone on a budget. Regardless, the MMS and MonsterArts are two very different things. One can't "replace" the other. If anything the insane volume of vinyls from Bandai these last two years shows exactly how popular these toys are and have always been. And Bandai knows it.

I've been running a Facebook Godzilla collectors group for over 11 years now (as long as MonsterArts has been a thing) and Bandai vinyl is still the cornerstone of a lot of collections. Nothing seems to excite collectors more than a really nice, brand new Bandai vinyl. Nothing sells better at G-FEST than Bandai vinyl. People across ALL generations LOVE to collect these toys, which is more than i can say for MonsterArts, which seems to be most popular amongst young adults. A lot of collectors closer to my age won't touch them. If you really think Xplus and MonsterArts are the "heart and sole of the collecting community" in a way Bandai vinyl is not then I really don't know what to tell you aside from insisting that you broaden the scope of the communities you're focusing on.

Accuracy (and scale for that matter, which is overrated) isn't everything either. There's a huge market for stylized toys. Especially with older collectors.
I'd really like to agree with you on this, for the record. I love Bandai vinyl personally. It's great there's fifty different lines now but that's the one I started on and so I'm always going to feel a personal loyalty towards it, and that's exactly why I do not want to assume that's how everyone else feels. I would say though that even within the Bandai vinyl equation, it does feel like the Movie Monster Series is sort of a secondary thing. The original 8" old school vinyl line is more popular and understandably so - the beautiful glossy paint, the bigger self presence, the sense of history. The Movie Monster Series is smaller, often much less well-painted, and I don't know how many collectors know that a lot of major figures have undergone multiple paint variations. (You probably know those details better than me, of course.)

I do know there are older collectors who love Marmit sort of stuff, that stuff is cool as heck and seems well-appreciated, but I feel like they are the exception rather than the rule, compared to stuff like Mondo and Super7 which seem more like a joke to the vast majority of fans and collectors.

As for broadening the scope of the communities I'm focusing on, well, all I can say is gladly so, but the community seems to mostly exist on Facebook and Toho Kingdom now, so I'd be unsure where to look besides those platforms.
I used to be a lot more optimistic and outgoing, believe it or not. I used to actually be passionate about this stuff.

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tbeasley
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Re: How much Merch is too much?

Post by tbeasley »

Toho's takeaway from this thread -

Image

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